Dean Holden determined to build even stronger connection with Charlton fanbase – and verdict on fixture schedule – South London News
Dean Holden is determined to build an even stronger connection between his Charlton Athletic squad and the club’s supporters.
The Addicks manager is delighted that the Addicks kick off their 2023-24 League One campaign with three of their opening four matches at home.
Charlton start with Leyton Orient in SE7 on August 5 and have back-to-back Valley dates with Bristol Rovers and Port Vale before the end of the opening month.
Holden has revealed that he was just as expectant as fans this morning when the new schedule came out.
He told the South London Press: “We get an early shout on them – we get them at 7am. I got up at 6.30am. It’s a proper day in the calendar, it always has been. I love it. There is a lot of excitement.
“Orient at home is a really good derby for us. They’ll obviously bring decent support.
“We’ve got three of our first four games at home. With a brand new pitch being laid, we’ll take that. Every pitch should be good at that stage. We just take the challenge in front of us. It’s an old cliche but we have to turn it into a fortress. We had some absolutely incredible times there at the end of last season – the support myself and the players got.
“We need to get the fans right with us this season. That’s one of the biggest things. We started to implement that connection from Christmas onwards, in small ways.
“I think the fans know it is authentic and I want them to be involved with us, in terms of being on this journey with us. They don’t just turn up every fortnight at The Valley to see the players – we want them to be part of it. There will be lots of initiatives going out in pre-season to do that. I’ll be out and about locally. We want to keep building that connection, you can see how important it is.
“We’re playing Orient in pre-season. I now Richie (Wellens, their manager) – we played together as kids. I’m sure we’ll both play a completely different system in that pre-season one to try and throw each other off!
“Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday, who were big payers, are out of the division but I remember when Leicester won the Premier League. People would say that season: ‘How did you not beat Leicester? You should be beating Leicester.’ They went on and won the league. So it’s hard to say if it is a decent start or a tough one.
“You look initially for the first fixture and then Christmas, to make sure the travelling is not too heavy. I look at milestones, like my kids’ birthdays and stuff like that to see where I’ll be. There are a couple of clubs I’ve played for previously in Bolton and Shrewsbury – more around personal stuff.
“You also look at what the run-in will be, dreaming of that bit of success towards the end.”
Or, please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing: “A free country needs a free press, and the newspapers of our country are under significant financial pressure”.
So if you have enjoyed reading this story, and if you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can buy our newspaper or make a donation, which will allow us to continue to bring stories like this one to you both in print and online.
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Skip to content
